The Franklin Institute first developed as a learning community designed to teach young individuals the skills necessary for mastery in the mechanical arts. At the time of The Institute's initial development, there were limited opportunities for educational advancement in the city of Philadelphia or on the east coast of the United States in general. The growing scope of the first industrial revolution empowered The Institute, allowing it to fill a void in education of the mechanical arts. The philanthropic aspects, public works, and publications completed at The Institute were the major driving force for industrial improvement in 19th century, and then the 2nd industrial revolution in the eastern United States. This includes improvements in transportation, education, the patent process, and various scientific fields. The need for high quality centralized industrial research in the United States required a facility unlike a normal university or corporate R&D lab, which The Franklin Institute was able to provide for individuals of all social standing and the government alike. The topic relates to HIST285 because it is a coupling between society, education, and technology based in the Philadelphia area, showing the unique aspects of The Franklin Institute when compared to other institutions. Background The Franklin Institute today is considered a premier museum focused on education for young children in science, based on Benjamin Franklin's ideal that inquiry is the basis of learning [7]. There exist many permanent exhibits that are experienced by thousands of visitors yearly, such as the Fels Planetarium and the Giant Heart. Currently a staple of K-12 inquisitive and experiential learning, The Institute was first established to fulfill a distinctly different purpose, education in the mechanical arts. The Institute has its first roots in the industrial revolution, with groups of citizen seeking to reap the benefits of an expanding economy based on new technology. Samuel Merrick, the founder of The Franklin Institute, was a young and ambitious worker seeking to gain experience in new industries. Arriving in Philadelphia to work for his uncle in the early 19th century, he sought out training in new technologies associated with the rapidly proceeding industrial revolution. Immediately disappointed, he observed that Philadelphia had no high school education system or technical training academy. He tried to gather likeminded people whom he thought would be interested in the establishment of this type of organization, but no one showed up to his initial meetings [2]. Undeterred, he tried repeatedly until he aligned himself with William Keating, a professor of chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. Together, the two managed to have the first meeting of their organization on December 9, 1823. The meeting contained only 12 citizens, but it was beneficial nonetheless. Here it was decided that The Institute should focus primarily on the promotion of the mechanical arts [4]. William Keating bolstered Merrick's original idea while also providing significant funds to begin the establishment of The Institute. Once there was some backing, The Franklin Institute received its charter from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 3, 1824. The charter forming The Institute focused on providing education to working individuals in a similar manner to modern day trade organizations, allowing them to remain members while actively working in industry. At the time of initial development, there was little focus on secondary education, even though there were no public high schools in Philadelphia. Much later on, The Franklin School was founded as a way to raise money during hard economic times, and provide a high school education for young Philadelphians and children of Institute members. Money was acquired for The Institute from singular donations, dues for members, fees for education, fees for The Journal, some small grants from the US Congress and other divisions of the US government [5]. This is similar to how many universities operate today, but was very different at the time of The Institutes establishment. The Institute would run classes mostly at night, and the classes were focused on practical application of the mechanical arts, as opposed to academic intellectual understanding of science and physics. This is one of the inspiring aspects of The Institute that made it so influential in the second industrial revolution. Advancements in the Mechanical Arts The Institute was established as a learning center, with an obvious addition being added slightly after its charter. Rather than functioning essentially as a library with some trained professional teachers, The Institute established a journal. The journal would publish all types of applicable manufacturing and scientific research work, to be distributed in print form. This would become The Journal of the Franklin Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts. This would become the most influential scientific journal in the western hemisphere, rivaling some of the long-standing European publications focused towards science and technology. Many major publications within The Journal need mention due to their significance in history of both The Institute and technology in general. The first published work on photography in the United States was translated and published by The Journal of the Franklin Institute in 1839. The images are black and white, on a treated plate of glass [6]. This publication brought respect to The Institute, showing that the United States may be able to recognize and compete with foreign nations industrially. The Institute had other great firsts was well, such as Nikola Tesla's first description of the concept of radio wave wireless communication [3, 5-7]. The first-ever voting machine was displayed at The Franklin Institute and published by The Journal in 1901, due to a need for better voting control and tallying [5]. In the early 20th century another great photographic development was brought forth by The Institute, when the method and theory for color motion photography used by the Eastman Kodak Company was explained in a lecture at The Franklin Institute in 1928 [6]. Government Research The Franklin Institute focused heavily on government research early in its development, to gain funding and to establish respect for The Institute. One of the very first projects completed at The Institute was a steam boiler study. The project was initiated by The Institute to determine the causes for steam boiler explosions and to implement design improvements, first starting in 1830. After initiation of the project, the United States Congress supplied a grant to cover expenses, with no money appropriated for compensation to experimenters [2]. Analyzing boiler strength and design not only improved safety, but also allowed mechanicians to properly design equipment for profit. The work was available not just to Congress, but to all who subscribed to The Journal [1]. The government studies often covered topics of high impact and importance. The Institute completed a Philadelphia highway system analysis for the commonwealth, and suggested road construction materials [4]. The Institute also established the standard weights and measures used by the United States Mint. One of the greatest accomplishments of The Institute is the establishment of a unified thread system. Prior to 1864, no standards existed for nuts and bolts. If a part was lost from a machine, it must be built to order depending upon its original design. The Sellers System set screw standards to a specific thread form, with a graded series of fasteners. This is immensely important because this lays the foundations for the 2nd industrial revolution, by allowing interchangeability of parts. If a part is lost, the screw standard allows it to be easily replaced. The standard was adopted throughout the US in 1865, later became the model for the French thread, and eventually was adopted as the universal thread [2, 5]. Unique Aspects of The Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a unique and valuable part of Philadelphia and United States technological history. It was intended as a place to educate in mechanical arts. This was vastly different than a university of the 19th century. Universities in the 19th century focused primarily on scholarly work, meaning that they did not cover, directly, problems that existed in industry. This would only change due to the 2nd industrial revolution, due in part to Universities seeking corporate funds for research, as seen in Misa's text. Today, many universities, such as Drexel, focus on a combination of scholarly research and industrial/business work, which was the original basis of The Institute. The Institute was also mostly self-funded, by members and what it could sell. It took on the burden of serious problems and sought to solve them, advance technology and the ability for people to successfully implement technology. The members of The Institute were from all social standings. The positions held by members included carpenters, business owners, printers, everything [2, 5]. This was novel in that you were not required to be previously educated to be a member. It also allowed a diverse group of minds to solve problems, and take advantage of the publications of The Journal. Eventually, much later (1950's), the research and design of companies and the government became internalized, allowing universities to move slightly back towards scholarly work, and leaving The Institute with few purposes. This is how The Institute moved towards what it is today. Conclusion The Franklin Institute was a unique institution, funded by philanthropy and designed to advance technology through education. It had a significant impact on technology, spring boarding several mechanical innovations during its early years of development. During early development, The Institute successfully brought the 1st industrial revolution forward into the 2nd industrial revolution, through advancements such as unified threads and others. This type of standards advancement and large-scale dissemination of information, through The Journal, allowed The Institute to be more influential than individual inventors or large corporate R&D labs in terms of ushering in the 2nd industrial revolution. Once the 2nd industrial revolution was completely underway, and nearing completion, the purpose of The Franklin Institute became unclear. Academia was undertaking technical problems in education and research, and corporate R&D was in full swing, generating unbelievable advancement and intellectual property. The Franklin Institute would become less and less involved in actual education, eventually becoming the museum that many people love today. The lineage from start to finish is incredibly interesting, and The Institute had a profound effect on technology, just as technological advancements eventually made The Institute obsolete.
Bibliography
Primary:
[1] Franklin Institute et al, Report of the Committee of the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania, for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, on the Explosions of Steam-boilers: Part I., Containing the First Report of Experiments Made by the Committee, for the Treasury Department of the U. States. Philadelphia: The Franklin Institute, 1836.
[2] Wahl, William. The Franklin Institute: A Sketch of its Organization and History. Philadelphia: The Franklin Institute, 1895.
Secondary:
[3] McMahon, A. Michal, and Stephanie A. Morris. Technology in Industrial America: The Committee on Science and the Arts of The Franklin Institute. Wilmington DE: Scholarly Resources, Inc.,
[4] Scharf, J. Thomas, and Thompson Westcott. History of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: H.L. Everts and Co., 1884.
[5] Sinclair, Bruce. Philadelphia's Philosopher Mechanics. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1974.
[6] Wright, Sydney L. The Story of The Franklin Institute. Philadelphia: Lancaster Press Inc, 1938.
Background
The Franklin Institute today is considered a premier museum focused on education for young children in science, based on Benjamin Franklin's ideal that inquiry is the basis of learning [7]. There exist many permanent exhibits that are experienced by thousands of visitors yearly, such as the Fels Planetarium and the Giant Heart. Currently a staple of K-12 inquisitive and experiential learning, The Institute was first established to fulfill a distinctly different purpose, education in the mechanical arts. The Institute has its first roots in the industrial revolution, with groups of citizen seeking to reap the benefits of an expanding economy based on new technology.
Samuel Merrick, the founder of The Franklin Institute, was a young and ambitious worker seeking to gain experience in new industries. Arriving in Philadelphia to work for his uncle in the early 19th century, he sought out training in new technologies associated with the rapidly proceeding industrial revolution. Immediately disappointed, he observed that Philadelphia had no high school education system or technical training academy. He tried to gather likeminded people whom he thought would be interested in the establishment of this type of organization, but no one showed up to his initial meetings [2]. Undeterred, he tried repeatedly until he aligned himself with William Keating, a professor of chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. Together, the two managed to have the first meeting of their organization on December 9, 1823. The meeting contained only 12 citizens, but it was beneficial nonetheless. Here it was decided that The Institute should focus primarily on the promotion of the mechanical arts [4].
William Keating bolstered Merrick's original idea while also providing significant funds to begin the establishment of The Institute. Once there was some backing, The Franklin Institute received its charter from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 3, 1824. The charter forming The Institute focused on providing education to working individuals in a similar manner to modern day trade organizations, allowing them to remain members while actively working in industry. At the time of initial development, there was little focus on secondary education, even though there were no public high schools in Philadelphia. Much later on, The Franklin School was founded as a way to raise money during hard economic times, and provide a high school education for young Philadelphians and children of Institute members. Money was acquired for The Institute from singular donations, dues for members, fees for education, fees for The Journal, some small grants from the US Congress and other divisions of the US government [5]. This is similar to how many universities operate today, but was very different at the time of The Institutes establishment. The Institute would run classes mostly at night, and the classes were focused on practical application of the mechanical arts, as opposed to academic intellectual understanding of science and physics. This is one of the inspiring aspects of The Institute that made it so influential in the second industrial revolution.
Advancements in the Mechanical Arts
The Institute was established as a learning center, with an obvious addition being added slightly after its charter. Rather than functioning essentially as a library with some trained professional teachers, The Institute established a journal. The journal would publish all types of applicable manufacturing and scientific research work, to be distributed in print form. This would become The Journal of the Franklin Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts. This would become the most influential scientific journal in the western hemisphere, rivaling some of the long-standing European publications focused towards science and technology.
Many major publications within The Journal need mention due to their significance in history of both The Institute and technology in general. The first published work on photography in the United States was translated and published by The Journal of the Franklin Institute in 1839. The images are black and white, on a treated plate of glass [6]. This publication brought respect to The Institute, showing that the United States may be able to recognize and compete with foreign nations industrially. The Institute had other great firsts was well, such as Nikola Tesla's first description of the concept of radio wave wireless communication [3, 5-7]. The first-ever voting machine was displayed at The Franklin Institute and published by The Journal in 1901, due to a need for better voting control and tallying [5]. In the early 20th century another great photographic development was brought forth by The Institute, when the method and theory for color motion photography used by the Eastman Kodak Company was explained in a lecture at The Franklin Institute in 1928 [6].
Government Research
The Franklin Institute focused heavily on government research early in its development, to gain funding and to establish respect for The Institute. One of the very first projects completed at The Institute was a steam boiler study. The project was initiated by The Institute to determine the causes for steam boiler explosions and to implement design improvements, first starting in 1830. After initiation of the project, the United States Congress supplied a grant to cover expenses, with no money appropriated for compensation to experimenters [2]. Analyzing boiler strength and design not only improved safety, but also allowed mechanicians to properly design equipment for profit. The work was available not just to Congress, but to all who subscribed to The Journal [1].
The government studies often covered topics of high impact and importance. The Institute completed a Philadelphia highway system analysis for the commonwealth, and suggested road construction materials [4]. The Institute also established the standard weights and measures used by the United States Mint. One of the greatest accomplishments of The Institute is the establishment of a unified thread system. Prior to 1864, no standards existed for nuts and bolts. If a part was lost from a machine, it must be built to order depending upon its original design. The Sellers System set screw standards to a specific thread form, with a graded series of fasteners. This is immensely important because this lays the foundations for the 2nd industrial revolution, by allowing interchangeability of parts. If a part is lost, the screw standard allows it to be easily replaced. The standard was adopted throughout the US in 1865, later became the model for the French thread, and eventually was adopted as the universal thread [2, 5].
Unique Aspects of The Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a unique and valuable part of Philadelphia and United States technological history. It was intended as a place to educate in mechanical arts. This was vastly different than a university of the 19th century. Universities in the 19th century focused primarily on scholarly work, meaning that they did not cover, directly, problems that existed in industry. This would only change due to the 2nd industrial revolution, due in part to Universities seeking corporate funds for research, as seen in Misa's text. Today, many universities, such as Drexel, focus on a combination of scholarly research and industrial/business work, which was the original basis of The Institute. The Institute was also mostly self-funded, by members and what it could sell. It took on the burden of serious problems and sought to solve them, advance technology and the ability for people to successfully implement technology. The members of The Institute were from all social standings. The positions held by members included carpenters, business owners, printers, everything [2, 5]. This was novel in that you were not required to be previously educated to be a member. It also allowed a diverse group of minds to solve problems, and take advantage of the publications of The Journal.
Eventually, much later (1950's), the research and design of companies and the government became internalized, allowing universities to move slightly back towards scholarly work, and leaving The Institute with few purposes. This is how The Institute moved towards what it is today.
Conclusion
The Franklin Institute was a unique institution, funded by philanthropy and designed to advance technology through education. It had a significant impact on technology, spring boarding several mechanical innovations during its early years of development. During early development, The Institute successfully brought the 1st industrial revolution forward into the 2nd industrial revolution, through advancements such as unified threads and others. This type of standards advancement and large-scale dissemination of information, through The Journal, allowed The Institute to be more influential than individual inventors or large corporate R&D labs in terms of ushering in the 2nd industrial revolution. Once the 2nd industrial revolution was completely underway, and nearing completion, the purpose of The Franklin Institute became unclear. Academia was undertaking technical problems in education and research, and corporate R&D was in full swing, generating unbelievable advancement and intellectual property. The Franklin Institute would become less and less involved in actual education, eventually becoming the museum that many people love today. The lineage from start to finish is incredibly interesting, and The Institute had a profound effect on technology, just as technological advancements eventually made The Institute obsolete.
Bibliography
Primary:
[1] Franklin Institute et al, Report of the Committee of the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania, for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, on the Explosions of Steam-boilers: Part I., Containing the First Report of Experiments Made by the Committee, for the Treasury Department of the U. States. Philadelphia: The Franklin Institute, 1836.
[2] Wahl, William. The Franklin Institute: A Sketch of its Organization and History. Philadelphia: The Franklin Institute, 1895.
Secondary:
[3] McMahon, A. Michal, and Stephanie A. Morris. Technology in Industrial America: The Committee on Science and the Arts of The Franklin Institute. Wilmington DE: Scholarly Resources, Inc.,
[4] Scharf, J. Thomas, and Thompson Westcott. History of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: H.L. Everts and Co., 1884.
[5] Sinclair, Bruce. Philadelphia's Philosopher Mechanics. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1974.
[6] Wright, Sydney L. The Story of The Franklin Institute. Philadelphia: Lancaster Press Inc, 1938.
References:
[7] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Institute>